Rifts vs TimeWatch
Compare Rifts and TimeWatch side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Rifts | TimeWatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Post-Apocalyptic, Scifi, Fantasy, Horror, Superhero | Scifi, Historical |
| Tags | Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Gonzo, High-Power, Mana Points, Mecha, Superpowers, Tactical | Investigation, Mystery, Mission-Based, Cinematic, Narrative, Resource Management, Tactical, Gonzo, Hackable, Strong GM Support |
| Core Mechanic | Combat and saving throws use a d20 plus bonuses, with high results overcoming a target number or opposing roll. Skills use d100 and succeed when the result is at or below the character's percentage. | A relevant Investigative ability reveals necessary clues without a roll or point spend. For General ability tests, roll a d6 and add points spent from that ability's pool before rolling to meet or exceed the difficulty. |
| Dice | d20, d100 | d6 |
| Complexity | Very High | High |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Noncommercial only — Palladium Books Internet Policy limited license | Commercial publishing allowed — Community content program |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Palladium Books Inc. | Pelgrane Press |
| Year | 2005 | 2016 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want long-form science-fantasy campaigns that move from a ruined Earth to other dimensions. The game suits tables whose GM will decide which parts of the broad setting a campaign uses. | Groups who want investigative missions across historical eras with action-movie combat and opportunities to solve problems through time travel. |
| Highlights | Occupational and racial class packages assign distinct abilities and advancement tracks, giving each archetype a different role in the party. Mega-Damage places many supernatural creatures and war machines on a separate durability scale beyond the reach of ordinary Structural Damage Capacity attacks. Rifts and ley lines make dimensional travel a standing feature of the setting, letting campaigns move between devastated Earth and other worlds. | Investigative abilities guarantee necessary clues, keeping mysteries focused on interpreting evidence rather than failed searches. Paradox Prevention spends let agents arrange helpful circumstances through time travel, including assistance from their future selves. Campaign frames change the premise and rules for alternatives such as body-hopping missions or time-traveling heists. |
| Considerations | Character creation combines rolled attributes with extensive skill selection, making first-time preparation lengthy. Combat asks each player to track an action economy, active defenses, and which damage scale applies. Magic and psionics use separate point pools and power procedures, adding class-specific rules to the shared system. | Spending General ability points commits limited resources before the die result is known. Paradox can reduce Chronal Stability far enough to rewrite an agent's identity or erase them from existence. The GM can refuse time-travel tactics that contradict established events or make the game less workable. |